Namibia’s men’s hockey club champions, School of Excellence Hockey Club, will compete in the 2026 Africa Cup for Club Champions tournament to be held in Harare, Zimbabwe from 24 to 31 January.
SOEHC secured their place, after winning the Namibian 2025 Outdoor Hockey Men’s Premier League title for the first time in their brief history towards the end of last year.
In their final match they rose to the occasion by beating the defending champions Windhoek Old Boys Sport Club 3-1, after goals by the Handura brothers Giovanni and Delron, as well as Kavee Tjikuniva, while Siabonga Martins replied for WOBSC.
That saw SOE dethroning WOBSC to win the premier league title for the first time.
It was a remarkable achievement by the young club which only became a member of the Namibia Hockey Union in 2019, while it entered the league for the first time with junior teams the following year.
Under the guidance of the founder and former national women’s coach, Erwin Handura, who is also the father of Delron and Giovanni, SOEHC grew steadily and by 2022 had more than fifty members playing with four teams in the national indoor and outdoor leagues.
In the first few years SOE pulled off some memorable wins against league powerhouses WOBSC and Saints, but they lacked the necessary consistency to become serious title challengers.
By 2025, however, the team came of age and went on a great run, sweeping all challengers aside to complete an unbeaten season, on the way to winning their inaugural title.
SOEHC will now test their mettle against the top club sides on the African continent in the Africa Cup for Club Champions which was developed a rich history since being launched 38 years ago.
The Egyptian champions El Sharkia won that inaugural competition in 1988 after beating Bendel Flickers Club of Nigeria on penalties.
Since then they went on to dominate the tournament, winning it for 10 years in a row before finally conceding their crown to Kenya Armed Forces in 1998, when Namibia hosted the tournament for the first, and only, time.
El Sharkia, however, reclaimed the title the next year, and went on to dominate the tournament. They once again won it for 10 years in a row from 2004 to 2013, as well as six times out of seven between 2017 and 2024. In total they have won the title a record 28 times, with another Egyptian club, Ittihad El Shorta trailing far behind in second place with three titles.
This year’s tournament hjas once again attracted some of the top club sides on the continent although South Africa is once again a conspicuous absentee.
El Sharkia will be back to defend their title, along with another Egyptian team, Portfouad.
The other competing teams are Ghana Revenue Authority; United Stars International University from Kenya; Kampala Hockey Club from Uganda; and Hotspurs Hockey Club from Zambia; as well as two Zimbabwean clubs – Bulawayo Hockey Club and Hippo Hockey Club.
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